Jean-Henri FABRE (1823-1915) entomologist. Autograph manuscript; 2 pages of one folio in-4. Fragment (numbered 15) of the chapter on Le Scarabée sacré from Souvenirs entomologiques (I, 1) with slight variations: "If I had had a voice in the council, I would have said: We must make an excavation and extract the stake that fixes the ball. [...] The dung beetle found better than man. [...] a moment arrives when the ball, still firmly attached, is suspended at the height the insect can reach with its back, or standing on its legs as far as it can. In this case, after vain evolutions around the inaccessible pole, the dung beetles abandon the place if you don't have the goodness of heart to finish the job yourself and give them back the treasure". On the reverse, Fabre presents a project for an atlas of the Vaucluse department, its flora and fauna...